Seniors start with two losses

By Scott Cameron on Tuesday, 10 October 2017

Sam Bastin

The Union senior team started the season with two loses on Saturday.

Missing key players from last season, they were defeated comfortably by Oamaru in the first game after notching up the score of 85 in the first innings. Only Daniel Martin (31) and Scott Kitto (20) made scores of 15 or more as the side struggled to gain any ascendency against the Oamaru bowlers. Jamie Ferris and Nicki Johnson took 3 wickets each while Abrahams took 2.

Ferris was destructive bat in hand almost singlehandedly taking his side to victory. When the total was passed he had 66 runs to his name including 13 boundaries. For Union, Blake James took the only wicket in the innings, bowling Sunderland.

In the second game Union took on Albion, with Albion looking set for a massive score 131/2 after 13 overs. Nathan Smith (56) and Jonty Naylor (56) looked set to push the total but a good fight back from Union restricted the opposition to 170 of their 20 overs. Returning Englishman Sam Bastin was the pick of the Union bowlers taking 3-24 of his four overs.

Union got of to a steady start being 33/1 of 6 overs but with the required run rate starting to reach double figures the pressure mounted. They never got their innings going staying at a run a ball but at the same time losing key wickets at critical times during the innings. When the final ball was bowled Union were 112/9, 59 runs short of victory. Sam Bastin backing up bowling effort top scoring with 34 while Blake James notched up 30. Both were victims of veteran Bradly Kernahan who took the outstanding figures of 5-25 of 4 overs, while Nathan Smith (2-20) and Ewing (2-17) took two wickets each.